At the table, in the living room, in the bedroom, in the car, in the doctor’s waiting room… “Screen time is a permanent subject in families”, recalled Claude Meisch, Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, when launching the “Screen-Life-Balance” campaign, aimed at supporting parents in better day-to-day management with their children.
More offensive, this new campaign wants to make parents responsible. “We need a framework,” insisted Claude Meisch, presenting concrete recommendations. But what are they? The essentials takes stock:
The first age is that of an “existential phase of development” and for this reason, the analyzes are clear: “It is important to avoid all exposure to screens” between 0 and 3 years “to leave room for social contacts, situations of direct exchange and for play. All screens will be banned from childcare settings and parents are invited to do the same at home.
Parents are then invited to “gradually introduce” screens and digital content into their children’s activities. This must always be done in the presence of one of the parents, favoring interactive content. “No personal games console before the age of 6,” it is still indicated.
The child is growing and already gaining independence, it is during this period that a relationship of trust with the parents is built. Including the use of digital tools. Parents must “establish clear rules of use” and “configure the tools to restrict access”.
Giving your child a smartphone means opening the doors to content that is difficult to master. “They do not always know that sharing photos and videos poses a risk to their privacy,” indicates the ministry, which recommends not giving a personal phone before the age of 12.
Children “must first learn to use their own smartphone with the support of their parents.”
We all now know the negative consequences that social networks can have, already on adults, so imagine on the youngest in search of identity. “Manipulative practices and algorithms risk leading to excessive use of smartphones and causing emotional stress among young people,” warn the authorities, who therefore set the recommended minimum age for registering on the networks at 15 years.
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